The Roman emperor Marcus Aurelius Antoninus(121-180 AD) was the last famous Stoic philosopher of antiquity. During the last 14 years of his life he faced one of the worst viral plagues in European history – the Antonine Plague, named after him. From AD166 to around AD180, repeated outbreaks occurred through out the known world. Roman historians describe the legions being devastated, and entire towns and villages being depopulated and going to ruin. Rome itself was particularly badly affected, carts leaving the city each day piled high with dead bodies. In the middle of all this, Marcus wrote a book, known as The Meditations, which records the moral and psychological advice he gave himself at this time to cope with the challenges of pain, illness, anxiety and loss. In writing The Meditations, Marcus Aurelius fulfilled Plato’s notion of the philosopher-king.
Aurelius was well suited for the role, having been handpicked by Hadrian at the age of 8 to succeed the throne. He received the finest education of Rome at the time, and the young emperor himself was drawn to the study of moral philosophy. Indeed, his every action seems to have been judged by the very admonishments he recorded in his book. A student of the Stoicism of Epictetus, Aurelius embraced that Stoics’ idea of providence, endurance, perseverance, restraint, and equanimity in the face of adversity. His two decade reign, which saw not only plagues but barbarian invasion, rebellion and other catastrophes, turned out be fertile ground for his Stoic convictions.
Beyond the aphoristic reflections, The Meditations is also a volume full of deep wisdom that is both consoling and inspiring, pitched to catch the inner ear of any seeker of the meaning of existence. Aurelius’s long-held view of the insignificance of human affairs is tempered with his affirmation of the value of the human soul and the need for moral character and compassion. His book has spoken to countless generations of the perplexed on wisdom’s way to navigate life. It still does.
Selected quotes from Marcus Aurelius’s The Meditations
You have power over your mind – not outside events. Realize this, and you will find strength.
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If you are distressed by anything external, the pain is not due to the thing itself, but to your estimate of it; and this you have the power to revoke at any moment.
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The first step: don’t be anxious. Nature controls it all. And before long, you’ll be no one, nowhere.
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Dwell on the beauty of life. Watch the stars, and see yourself running with them.
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The happiness of your life depends upon the quality of your thoughts.
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Everything you’re trying to reach, by taking the long way round, you could have right now, this moment if you’d only stop thwarting your own attempts and let go of the past.
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Everything we hear is an opinion, not a fact. Everything we see is a perspective, not the truth.
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Waste no more time arguing about what a good man should be. Be one. Everything that happens, happens as it should. Look closely, and you will find that it is true.
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The things of the world cannot affect the soul; they lie inert outside it, and only internal beliefs disturb it.